The Art of Being Normal

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When it comes to LGBTQIA-books, transgender characters are very underrepresented, which is a damn shame. Complex topics like gender identity and transsexuality are more and more discussed in society these days, so it’s important that we see those topics represented in literature. The Art of Being Normal is one of those pieces of literature that tries to do that, and does a good job, but overall the plot, the writing, and the supporting characters are pretty average. UNA NOVELA REAL, CERCANA Y QUE ABORDA EL TEMA DE LA TRANSEXUALIDAD DE MANERA SUBLIME. IMPRESCINDIBLE. Then we all sit on the sofa and watch a film called Freaky Friday. It’s about a mother and daughter who eat an enchanted fortune cookie that makes them magically swap bodies for the day. Dear World, if only it were that straightforward. Dad nods off halfway through and starts snoring.

That friendship however isn’t strong enough to mask the thin plot of the book. In the first half of the novel the focus is on David and his problems with body dysphoria (which were realistically described, in my cisgender opinion). Not much happens to Leo, apart from him falling in love with Alicia and experiencing some family drama. As his body transforms with puberty, David gets further away from the petite, feminine frame he desires. The rising testosterone in his body elongates his figure and causes his feet to become large and unattractive. Despite Felix’s encouragement that Kate Winslet wears size nine shoes, David obsessively measures himself, distraught at the appearance of stubble on his chin. He wishes he had the curves of his mother. During the moments he is left alone in his house, David dresses up as a girl and uses his mother’s makeup, only to wipe it off and feel uncomfortable in his own skin once more. He reflects on the fact that he has never had a girlfriend or boyfriend, never been kissed, and never even held hands with someone. Even Leo misgendered Kate and called her David all the time, which I found kind all kinds of problematic, for reasons you might understand in the next point.David Piper has always been an outsider. His parents think he’s gay. The school bully thinks he’s a freak. Only his two best friends know the real truth: David wants to be a girl.

The Art Of Being Normal' follows David, who stumbles through the minefield of high school and puberty knowing in his heart that everything is wrong... because he wants to be a girl, knows he is supposed to be girl. Navigating bullies gets a little easier for him though with a well aimed punch from Leo Denton, who struggles alongside David with a family that barely seem to notice him and a blossoming relationship with a beautiful girl that seems too good to be true.The messages of this story: friendships, family, being true to yourself, standing up for yourself, being different is ok, It-gets-better…they all work today to present a story about hope. They don’t compete with each other. They actually build each other up. And though it was sometimes hard to read the tough times these kids go through, I want felt HOPEFUL by the end. An amazing step forward in diversity in publishing, not such a step forward in engrossing storytelling. When I was eight years old, my class was told to write about what we wanted to be when we grew up. Then our teacher, Ms. Box, went around the room asking each of us to stand up and share what we had written. Zachary Olsen wanted to play soccer for England. Lexi Taylor wanted to be an actress. Harry Beaumont planned on being prime minister. Simon Allen wanted to be Harry Potter, so badly that the previous term he had scratched a lightning bolt onto his forehead with a pair of scissors. The Ace: Both Zachary Olsen and Alicia Baker are popular, attractive and talented in what they both do, respectively sports and music.

Overall, I did like The Art of Being Normal, although I felt like some things weren’t presented as well as they could have been. If you’re looking for your first book about a trans character, or you simply devour any and all LGBTQIA+ books, then I would still say give The Art of Being Normal a go. A sweet YA-story with a couple of amazing diverse characters, although the story itself could have been better. Jade-Colored Glasses: Leo's mother has these on at all times. Ironically, she plays a lot of bingo.It features some serious and important themes, all of which were handled well, including of course sexuality and gender but also bullying, family relationships, poverty and abandonment... probably a few more too. But beyond the struggles of David and Leo it never felt 'heavy', if that's the right word. I certainly felt sad and angry, as well as happy and warm, but I enjoyed the whole journey. Passionate and gripping…a powerful tale of a transgender teenager’s struggle with identity” - The Telegraph Two British transgender teens try to come to terms with their lives while facing serious bullying in their school.